China Now Has the Largest Navy in the World, and Could be World Class by 2049

[Frodo]

Pentagon Report: China Now Has World’s Largest Navy as Beijing Expands Military Influence

China is bent on creating a world-class military that can conduct joint operations across the globe and already boasts the world’s largest navy, according to the Pentagon’s latest annual assessment of the Chinese military.

A “permanent condition of military inferiority is anathema” to China’s leadership and nowhere is that more obvious in its naval build-up, Chad Sbragia, deputy assistant secretary of defense for China, said during a Tuesday American Enterprise Institute forum.

The Chinese Communist Party “has become increasingly confident [of] achieving its goal” of having “a world-class military by 2049.” A key component has been China’s continuing maritime build-up from its surface forces to ballistic missile submarines. He said its fleet numbers 350 warships compared to the United States’ 293.

“I would also draw your attention to weapons systems and it’s important to highlight the Chinese shipbuilding advantages in terms of its size of the fleet, is both in context of the broader modernization ambitions, virtual class military. This is a long-term challenge and it’s not only demarcated by a single variable, which would be total number of vessels, tonnage capacity, capabilities, location, posture, activities, and then other aspects,” he told a small group of reporters in a Pentagon briefing.

Sbragia said the Pentagon expects the Chinese fleet will number 360 warships by the end of this decade.

[Santander]

Not saying we shouldn't be wary of China, but their navy is a paper tiger and a regional power at best. (which, of course, suits their interests just fine for the time being)

[Zinneke]

PLA is gradually gaining influence ahead of the private sector, and just like in the US its gonna need a few theatres to justify the military hardware.

[dead0man]

a "world class Navy" is useless if you're scared to use it.  Also useless if it's rusting on the ocean floor because you tried to use it.

[CumbrianLefty]

And what is "world class" anyway?

[dead0man]

ya know, like Germany's in 1916

[It’s so Joever]

Yeah, no.
China has many advantages, but their navy is not one of them. It’s gotten better over the years, but it’s nowhere near World Class. I don’t think it should be that much of a priority for Beijing anyways.

[Hnv1]

Are you going to construct new carrier groups? Where are they going to rock around the world? Seems a bit of an overstretch report

[Damocles]

Seems nice. But your geography still s you.

[Never Made it to Graceland]

Pentagon begging for more money by scaremongering as usual.

[KaiserDave]

In appearance it is very powerful but in reality it is nothing to be afraid of; it is a paper tiger. Outwardly a tiger, it is made of paper, unable to withstand the wind and the rain. I believe that it is nothing but a paper tiger.


-Mao Tse-Tung

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

Japan still has a better navy at the end of the day.

[Silent Hunter]

Pentagon begging for more money by scaremongering as usual.

It's not even got the cool art of Soviet Military Power.

[Samof94]

China’s naval power is an illusion and is a microcosm of how their future isn’t as bright as it appears. They have one of the worst demographic trends of any country, their authoritarianism(even relative to 90’s/00’s China: where a different faction of the regime ruled) might have indirectly long term consequences for them regarding Western businesses, most of their neighbors hate them and are aligning against themselves, and their whole economic success was based on a “trick” they did once.

[CumbrianLefty]

Pentagon begging for more money by scaremongering as usual.

I am shocked, truly shocked, at the idea such a thing could happen.

[Kingpoleon]

Excellent. Military build up is great news when China’s economic growth is fundamentally unstable - if they continue this, China’s government will collapse in a couple decades.

[Never Made it to Graceland]

Excellent. Military build up is great news when China’s economic growth is fundamentally unstable - if they continue this, China’s government will collapse in a couple decades.

Like America is right now?

[Santander]

Excellent. Military build up is great news when China’s economic growth is fundamentally unstable - if they continue this, China’s government will collapse in a couple decades.

Like America is right now?

Basically what I was thinking, lol. China's economic growth is no more unstable than the US.

[Logical]

It takes three years to build a ship but it will take three centuries to build a tradition.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Pentagon begging for more money by scaremongering as usual.

It's not even got the cool art of Soviet Military Power.

China is more of a threat than Russia, but obviously this is military industrial complex welfare queens demanding more trillions of dollars.

[PSOL]

Pentagon begging for more money by scaremongering as usual.

It's not even got the cool art of Soviet Military Power.

China is more of a threat than Russia, but obviously this is military industrial complex welfare queens demanding more trillions of dollars.

I mean once you add in the fact of the size of the internationally recognized Chinese coastline and rights in deeper waters—given the nations such as Vietnam, Indonesia, Japan, Russia, Philippines, and what can arguably be given that China has other ASEAN nations in its backyard—such a thing isn’t that notable. Once we bring in the USA, it becomes dwarfed albeit less so over time. I’m not counting in the fact of most of the EU at least officially is involved in some capacity.

If there’s one thing our bloated military budget has weak resources for, disease and pandemic control, perhaps also along with the changing international and physical situation in the Poles is something that deserves more investment into.